'Every sport at risk from doping,' says former WADA chief Pound

From Piers Edwards, CNN

Updated 8:31 AM ET, Wed October 24, 2012

Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall28 photos

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – After denying the allegations for years, cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. As a result, he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and an Olympic bronze medal. Click through the gallery for a look at his life and career.

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Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall28 photos

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong, 17, competes in the Jeep Triathlon Grand Prix in 1988. He became a professional triathlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later.

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Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall28 photos

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France in 1995. He finished the race for the first time that year, ending in 36th place.

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Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall28 photos

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong rides at the Ikon Ride for the Roses to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation in May 1998. He established the foundation to benefit cancer research after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in February 1997.

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Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall28 photos

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong leads his teammates during the final stage of the 1999 Tour de France.

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Photos: Lance Armstrong's rise and fall28 photos

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong takes his honor lap on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – After winning the 2000 Tour de France, Armstrong holds his son Luke on his shoulders.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong rides during the 18th stage of the 2001 Tour de France. He won the tour that year for the third consecutive time.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong celebrates winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in 2001.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – After winning the 2001 Tour de France, Armstrong presents President George W. Bush with a U.S. Postal Service yellow jersey and a replica of the bike he used to win the race.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France by 61 seconds in 2003.

Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – After his sixth consecutive Tour de France win, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles with then-fiancee Sheryl Crow. The couple never made it down the aisle, splitting up the following year.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong holds up a paper displaying the number seven at the start of the Tour de France in 2005. He went on to win his seventh consecutive Tour de France.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong testifies during a Senate hearing in 2008 on Capitol Hill. The hearing focused on finding a cure for cancer in the 21st century.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – In 2009, Armstrong suffered a broken collarbone after falling during a race in Spain.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Young Armstrong fans write messages on the ground ahead of the 2009 Tour de France. He came in third place that year.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong launches the three-day Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by his foundation.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – In May 2010, Armstrong crashes during the Amgen Tour of California. That same day, he denied allegations of doping made by former teammate Floyd Landis.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong looks back as he rides during the 2010 Tour de France.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong's son Luke; his twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace; and his 1-year-old son, Max, stand outside the Radio Shack team bus on a rest day during the 2010 Tour de France.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong finished 23rd in the 2010 Tour de France. He announced his retirement from the world of professional cycling in February 2011. He said he wanted to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – The frame of Armstrong's bike is engraved with the names of his four children at the time and the Spanish word for five, "cinco." His fifth child, Olivia, was born in October 2010.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong competes in the 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Panama City, Florida, in February 2012. He went on to claim two Half Ironman triathlon titles by June of that year.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – Armstrong addresses participants at the Livestrong Challenge Ride on October 21, 2012, days after he stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer charity.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid announces the decision to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France wins and ban him from the tournament for life on October 22, 2012. "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling," he said.

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Lance Armstrong's rise and fall – In January 2013, Armstrong speaks with Oprah Winfrey about the controversy surrounding his cycling career. He admitted, unequivocally and for the first time, that he used performance-enhancing drugs while competing.

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Story highlights

Former WADA chief Richard Pound says sport must crack down on doping

Cycling has been rocked by Lance Armstrong being stripped of seven Tour de France titles

The UCI attempted to sue Pound in 2007 for comments he made about the organization

The 100th Tour de France will be the first in 10 years to take place entirely with French borders

Former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound has warned it is not just cycling that needs to crack down on the use of performance-enhancing substances.

As cycling's governing body the UCI grapples with the fallout of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal -- which has resulted in the American being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles -- Pound called for every sport to remain vigilant.

"I think every sport is at risk," the former International Olympic Committee vice president told CNN. "They use different drugs in different sports: track and field, swimming, weightlifting, football has had it -- pick a sport and you could probably determine which drugs are the drugs of choice."

Pound also insisted that unless the UCI acted decisively, cycling could be irreversibly damaged.

"It could be a watershed moment -- you hope that the UCI will stop trying to blame everyone else rather than themselves," added Pound.

"We have to get this act together very quickly, because it is entirely likely that this was not the only team in the peloton involved in organizing cheating," referring to the United States Anti-Doping Agency's conclusion that the U.S. Postal Service team and Armstrong had run "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen".

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Operation Puerto was an investigation -- started by the Spanish police in May 2006 -- into the doping ring led by Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, which involved high-profile cyclists such as Ivan Basso and Tyler Hamilton.

"Operation Puerto has been stalled because of Spanish bureaucracy -- probably because of the damning involvement of the Spanish doctors involved," explained Pound.

Against a backdrop of the lurid doping headlines, the route for the 2013 Tour de France was announced on Wednesday at an event in Paris ahead of the 100th edition of the grueling race.

For the first time in 10 years, each of the Tour's 21 stages will take place within the France, with the riders starting on Corsica, before completing the 3,360 kilometer marathon with a tradition dash along the iconic Champs Elysees on July 21.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme insisted the unveiling of the race route was a time to talk about the magic of the Tour rather than the issue of doping, although he insisted: "A movement has started a few years ago and it must go on. Everybody must work on it."

Prudhomme also argued that the Tour titles taken away from Spaniard Alberto Contador and American Floyd Landis for doping offenses suggested the current tests do work.

Team Sky dominated the 2012 race, with Bradley Wiggins becoming the first Briton to win the title, with his compatriot and teammate Chris Froome coming second.

But it could be difficult for Wiggins to defend his title, with many observers already suggesting the 32-year-old could struggle with 2013's comparatively hilly route.